The following five policies would transform and more importantly recognise the serious impact of high inflation for every Scot today in our cost-of-existence crisis. Furthermore, with the creation of implementing these policies would be the option of creating a Scottish citizens card to enable access to these services, making everyone feel a part of Scotland (independent or not). A life made for living, not just existing.
Human Health: Nationalise our gyms
The relationship between our health and the health of our human economy is reciprocal. Therefore, nationalising our local gyms with free gym membership for every Scot in our local communities would be a life-affirming gift. Such a policy would create both the urgent long-term investment plan needed for our NHS and the vision for a healthier child and adult population. This would reduce the NHS budget spending pressure and allow the immediate and smooth transition for a less exploitative human economy today. Health must always come first before our wealth creation.
One mandatory health check for every Scot every 6 months would be a strong preventative health model going forward and enable a stronger health vision for each citizen, this must include dentistry.
Sustainable Income: Minimum Income Guarantee of £50 p/w for every Scot.
Endless UK government austerity, high inflation and an abandoned ‘just transition’ after the global pandemic has left most Scots broke, but with the Scottish Government’s existing Minimum Income Guarantee they could expand on this infrastructure and provide £200p/m for every Scot now. This would end both the absurdity and injustice of Scottish citizens running out of money in 21st-century life, and the exploitation of loan sharks and furthermore the economic culture of any citizen having to borrow money just to exist – be in the world. That must end now.
Local Transport & Social Mobility: Nationalise one bus service route a week for every community member.
Everyone should be able to get about freely within the country they live, especially to their local nearest city. That’s why providing a one-day return journey from their local community would assist in the improvement of our local and city economies, for education or employment opportunities. Everyone must be included.
Food Security: Nationalise one meal a day for every Scot
Scottish Government must end the absurd reality of ‘food banks,’ for they are nothing more than ‘tin banks’ and are not providing a genuine source of healthy nutrition for every adult. Furthermore, they represent the still ongoing health and economic inequalities, which are never-ending nowadays.
Critically also, our present cost-of-existing crisis will be creating obesity problems and diabetes in our ‘austerity diet’ reality. But also, high inflation has brought to the equation the quality of our food from our supermarkets, which is often not to a high standard. Therefore, it is important to remember that high inflation on food has not affected the profits of our local supermarkets today, for if we saw the difference in profit than the price between each food item on our shelves, we would never buy their products. But of course, this does not consider the political reality, that all supermarkets are a source of food monopoly. Hence, why a proportion of food must be nationalised going forward – now.
The Scottish Government should create new legislation requiring all local supermarkets to provide at least 5 items of food at the till.
Free Internet: Create a new Scottish internet service
Everyone needs access to the internet and we are all aware of the serious fact that the internet has now become essential to our survival within our new and complex modern human economy. Therefore, the Scottish Government should be proactive and create Scotland’s very own internet service for every Scot, which would be an incredible benefit and boost to Scotland’s economy for an extremely long time. No one should ever experience not having access to the internet in 21st-century life.
The following policies can be implemented now by the Scottish Government and they have the funding and resources to do so. For every government in the world right now must be in the business of transcending, nothing less if we are truly going to have any kind of human future at all – let us get moving forward again.
About Patrick Phillips
Eternal revolutionary, writer and artist Patrick Phillips was born in Truro in 1984. He lives and works in a mountain village in Scotland. He has written articles for The Stage, Elsewhere Journal, CommonSpace, Scottish Left Review, Freedom Press, Scottish Farmer and The National. In summer 2021, he published his first book of essays, Eternal Mountain: Essays from Afar. This is his third non-fiction book. He is now working on his latest project, The Modern Giant: How to Be A Giant In An Age of Neo Ontology. It will be published in 2023.